Peacock herl bodies

I have been tying Prince nymphs all day which has motivated me to talk about today's tying tip. The first thing I want to mention is correcting a mistake tiers make, that is being too cheap with the peacock. To tie a long nymph body you need to use the correct amount of herl. You can't be cheap with the stuff. When I tie a size 10 I will use 5 or 6 of the longest herls I can find. You can adjust the number of pieces as you go down in hook size. You want to secure the herl at the front of the hook and use it to form an under body by wrapping it securely along the shank of the hook. You will end up with the herl and thread at the rear tie in point.  The next step is for the guy with a rotary vise. While your thread bobbin is hanging down you want to take your clump of herl and line it up with the thread. Hold the herl and thread together and rotate the thread and herl  forward to form the body. When you get to the front separate the herl from the thread and tie it off. If you have a bead on the hook make sure you pack the herl up tight against the bead so it does not move.